Not just uncontrolled spending, but an economic model that didn't allow them to make enough money to be able to afford it

It's debatable as to whether or not Egyptians will be any MORE free under whoever takes over. The Muslim Brotherhood isn't exactly much better...

3) Picking an industry he likes so that it will benefit from taxpayer subsidies without having to deal with a competetive marketplace.

That was a MAJOR unforseen consequence of the Interstate system - the death of a lot of the rail in the US. Not that I personally mind - there's more freedom in being able to drive a car than ride a rail.

That's a toss-up. Some of the cars they have don't have the safety and emission features of their American counterparts, and for us to be able to get some of their super-efficient diesels, there would need to be changes there as well.

Militant Islamism doesn't. It celebrates suicide, which is why it's more prevalent in that religion.

For those who don't get the above joke, Westboro Baptist accounts for something like 25 people.

Here's the present issue. The number of violent Islamists - or those who support them - are a greater percentage - VASTLY greater - than in Christianity, and Islam has done a VERY poor job of self-policing.

Actually, if you do some digging, you may find that there are similar problems within Islam.

Who would have ever thought that the meme would ever really come this true...

How would THAT solve the problem? Are government beareaucrats better at money management than big-business bankers?

Really? Pro-business dictators have the blood of MILLIONS on their heads?

As bad as some of the past mistakes of the US has been - and slavery is as much the fault of European mercantilism and monarchy - if not more so - than anything that ever happened in the US (because THEY started that particular version of slavery) - NOTHING has been as brutal and repressive as communist regimes (China and Russia in particular).

Stalin's successes ONLY came through repression and hard-line aggression toward his own people - as have all Communist "successes."

You play a MUD still, too. Admit it.

I read WAY too many other arguments - particularly from those in the hard Austrian Economics camp (who I don't totally disagree with on everything) - that make it appear otherwise.

Even after the confiscation, we more or less still had the gold standard until Nixon.

No, but you can more easily spend them.